Force Vehicles Off Roads to Cut Gridlock: Expert

On the same day the nation’s largest car and motorcycle dealer predicted record sales, a scientist warned that the only way Jakarta would solve its massive traffic problems was by curbing vehicle ownership.

With too few roads and massive numbers of new vehicles rolling out every day, traffic was only going to get worse, Lukman Hakim, deputy chairman of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said during a seminar on mass transportation in the capital on Wednesday.

“In Jakarta, the number of cars being sold has increased and now reaches 300 units daily, while motorcycles could soon rise to 800 a day,” he told the German-Asean Conference on Mass Transport Technologies.

The startling figures came on the same day PT Astra International forecast record nationwide sales for motorcycles and cars. “We are optimistic we will surpass the 2008 record of 607,000 cars and 6.5 million motorcycles this year,” said Prijono Sugiarto, Astra’s president director.

He said favorable economic conditions had driven new car sales up 73 percent over the past year. In the first quarter of this year, motorcycle sales increased by 35 percent to 1.6 million units.

While the figures were positive for the country’s economic outlook, it also meant more gridlock for the besieged capital, Lukman said.
“Vehicle ownership should be limited [in Jakarta],” he said bluntly.

Traffic experts frequently cite the paucity of roadways in Jakarta, which make up only about 6.2 percent of its total area, as compared with metropolises such as Singapore, New York City and Tokyo, which devote up to 20 percent of their city space to roads.

With about 1.5 million vehicles in Jakarta squeezed onto roads that can only handle about one million, according to 2009 estimates from several experts, the result is a jumbled nightmare of mostly private vehicles — public transportation makes up only about 8 percent of all vehicles.

“It’s not surprising that we see traffic jams every day during peak hour,” Lukman said, “even on toll roads that were built to reduce traffic.”

He said the snarl was also a threat to the economy. Citing research by Firdaus Ali, an environment expert at the University of Indonesia, Lukman said traffic jams in the Greater Jakarta area were estimated to cost more than Rp 26 trillion ($2.8 billion) every year. “Gasoline accounts for Rp 10.7 trillion, productive time lost Rp 9.7 trillion and health costs about Rp 5.8 trillion,” he said.

Lukman strongly urged the government to start drafting regulations to limit vehicle ownership in the city. Common ways to reduce ownership are through punitive taxes on second and subsequent cars in each family, increasing taxes at the pump or by charging for road usage, such as with electronic road pricing, which is currently being considered by the government.

Such methods, however, are often criticized for unfairly penalizing the poor.

As if on cue, an official at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources on Wednesday said the agency was considering restricting motorcycle users from buying subsidized gas.

Evita Legowo, director general of oil and gas at the ministry, said the idea to bar motorcyclists from using the low-octane subsidized fuel was the result of a meeting with the Indonesian Motorcycle Industry Association (AISI).

Lukman, however, warned that greater efforts were needed beyond curbing subsidized gas. He said alternative modes of transportation had to be developed.

“Ownership limitations can only be implemented if the government builds an effective mass rapid transportation system. A number of countries have high-tech MRT systems, specializing in train technology,” he said.

Jakarta’s long-delayed MRT has still not broken ground despite repeated promises. The design for a limited first phase is to be finished this year, with construction due to start in 2012 — if all goes well, 14.5 kilometers of rail will be in operation by 2016.

Bali: A Cowboy’s Paradise

You may think you already know everything there is to know about the so-called cowboys of Kuta Beach in Bali. But Singaporean filmmaker Amit Virmani’s controversial documentary, “Cowboys in Paradise,” will make you think again. The film offers a peek into the minds of the cowboys, from lessons in how to woo women and a rather naive outlook on sexually transmitted diseases, to unusual sex tips, like tying horse hair to the tip of your penis for enhanced pleasure.

The film is essentially a tale of struggle and survival with a twist: While the cowboys admit that they benefit from women financially, they refuse to be called gigolos.

Tucked in between personal testimonies are beach scenes showing tanned, muscular young men with Western women engaged in activities like playing cards and volleyball, as well as kissing and cuddling. According to the men, they work on the beach. Most of them are self-taught surfing instructors, while some got their start selling cold drinks on the beach.

But regardless of their story, they certainly know their way around women.

In the film, Bali-based writer Mark Ulyseas says the cowboys are so charming that women, more specifically female tourists, are easily drawn to them. “The women connect to them instantly,” Ulyseas says, while admitting that he himself has not been as lucky in this department.

The film offers men like Ulyseas a tip or two as the cowboys share some of the secrets of their trade. Virmani spells out the essential tips when the cowboys talk about what it is that women want. One tip is: “Shower them with attention.” As one cowboy explains, “Ask them how they’re doing, how their day was, what they did last night.” Most important, he adds, “I make them laugh.”

The film also turns the tables on the stereotype of manipulative women taking advantage of men for money. This time around, the men are the gold diggers.

“The women pay for the food and drinks every day during their vacation,” one cowboy says. “When they leave, they usually give us enough money to pay for a few months’ rent.”

However, he stresses that women give voluntarily. “I never ask for money,” he says, adding that he is not a gigolo.

Virmani says he agrees that the boys are not gigolos, while acknowledging that this is not always clear-cut. “You can find all kinds of articles calling them gigolos,” he says.

“People even make fun of them for saying they are not gigolos. But I’m with the cowboys on this one. I see a distinction and the film does what it can to make the point. Simple reasons. They have primary jobs, usually on the beach or as tour guides or whatever. And they never charge for sex. So they’re not sex workers to me.

“But they are part of the male sex trade in Bali for a host of other reasons. Academics and health officials have started to regard them as such. Not just the cowboys, but beach boys in different countries. They are a high-risk HIV group.

“Also, even though they don’t charge for sex, money does change hands through indirect ways. And plenty of women go in knowing and willing to pay for their companionship, so it amounts to a trade.”

And the cowboys are up front about the fact that money is involved. As they explain throughout the film, parents fall sick, grandparents die and other reasons are invented as an opening for girlfriends to provide financial assistance.

Others use the I-have-nothing card. “When my girlfriend wants to see my place, I move my things, like TV and DVD player, to my friend’s. When she sees that I have nothing, she will give me money for stuff,” he says.

The cowboys’ lifestyle is not a secret to most of their families. One man in the film proudly shows off the houses he built for himself and his father from money provided by his girlfriends. In front of a group of relatives, his father says that he is not ashamed of his son’s “job.”

“I’m not ashamed that my son works on the beach and looks for women. He takes care of his elders. I am proud.”

The film’s editing is a reflection of the director’s sense of humor. Virmani playfully inserts witty graphics and text between scenes. When one cowboy insists on showing Virmani his “modified penis,” everything goes black for a few seconds before the words “I must be content with I have” repeatedly runs across the screen.

The film is not without serious moments, particularly when it discusses HIV/AIDS. Aside from having multiple sex partners, the cowboys also admit to not always using a condom. “I usually wear a condom, but sometimes when my partner and I are too drunk, we don’t use it,” one beach boy says. “But I’m not worried because Europeans are cleaner than Asians. They are also disciplined about medical checkups.”

“Cowboys in Paradise” premiered at the DMZ Korean International Documentary Festival in South Korea last October. The film has had limited special screenings in Singapore. It is also scheduled to be part of the Melbourne International Film Festival in July. Virmani says that so far, the audience response has been “very gratifying.”

But despite the film’s international success, the 34-year-old director now finds himself at the center of controversy. “Cowboys” has sparked anger on Bali, with the police starting an investigation.

Three men who appeared in the film told police that Virmani said he was just documenting his holiday, not making a movie. After watching the movie in its entirety, however, this claim seems questionable. The people interviewed wear clip-on microphones and the audience can hear the director’s voice asking questions in the background. Virmani also used a Sony EX-1 to shoot the documentary, a pretty conspicuous camera for just taking some holiday snaps.

Some of the beach boys told the police that Virmani paid them for their interviews. On that matter, the director has this to say: “I’ve never denied paying the beach boys for their time. I budgeted for it, I did it and I’m proud that I did it. I’ll say it again, and louder: I’m proud that I did it. Various news channels pay people for their stories. Even leading documentary filmmakers have admitted to paying subjects from time to time. And that’s in the West. I’m supposed to go to a beach boy in Bali and say I can’t compensate him for his time? Why? Because interviewees in the West deserve the money more?

“But doesn’t it make you question what they’re saying now? They thought it was a home video for ‘holiday documentation?’ Who pays people to be in a home video? And why would I interview them if I was making a video of my holiday memories? Did Bali run out of lovely scenery?”

The police said on Friday that the director would likely be named a suspect in the next few days for filming without the proper permits. “We are on that path. Nothing, however, is confirmed as yet,” said Sr. Comr. Gede Sugianyar Dwi Putra, a spokesman for the Bali Police. “In one or two days, we will formally let everyone know. We are not too concerned about extradition matters. What’s important is that we first declare him a suspect.”

Without elaborating, police also suggested that in addition to charges of violating the 1992 Law on Film, Virmani could also be charged with fraud for allegedly tricking the film’s subjects into taking part.

“We have alerted NCB-Interpol to track him down in Singapore,” Gede said. “Every single witness we have questioned said that when Amit shot footage of them, he said it was not for the purpose of making a documentary or film. That’s trickery.”

Virmani declined to comment on the ongoing investigation, but remains fiercely proud of “Cowboys in Paradise.”

Asked if he would have made the movie had he known it would be so controversial, he says, “Yes. The cowboys are a fascinating subject for any filmmaker. Besides, on many levels, the subject chose me.”

Barack Oh..bama

Selama tiga tahun terakhir, nama Barack Obama menjadi household name di Amerika Serikat dan berbagai penjuru dunia lainnya, hingga Indonesia. Obama, begitu senator dari partai Demokrat ini biasa disapa, memang fenomenal. Sebagai politisi, ia bersinar. Ide-idenya tentang masa depan Amerika dan politik perubahan yang diusungnya, menjadikannya bak secercah sinar terang di tengah citra politik luar negeri Amerika Serikat yang buram pasca keputusan Presiden George W Bush untuk melancarkan invasi ke Afghanistan dan Irak.

Obama tanpa ragu mencalonkan diri sebagai kandidat presiden AS dari partai Demokrat bersaing dengan rekannya sesama Demokrat yaitu John Edwards dan Hillary Clinton. Motto yang diusungnya, "Change we can believe in, " membuka jalan sukses dan popularitasnya. Edwards akhirnya mengundurkan diri, sedangkan Hillary butuh waktu 18 bulan untuk menyadari bahwa perjuangannya telah berakhir. Kekalahan Hillary dari Obama meski tidak sepenuhnya mengejutkan tapi tetap menarik untuk disimak, mengingat Hillary punya lebih banyak pengalaman. Suaminya, Bill Clinton, memimpin AS selama dua periode. Hillary pun memegang peranan penting yaitu sebagai penasehat Bill. Dalam berbagai pemilihan pendahuluan di beberapa negara bagian, Obama selalu bersikap santun baik kalah atau menang. Jika menang, ia tetap memberi pujian bagi Hillary dan jika kalah, ia tidak pernah lupa memberi selamat dengan tulus. Satu sikap legowo yang patut dicontoh oleh siapa saja. Media AS asyik mengulas penyebab kekalahan Hillary Clinton dari 'anak bawang' ini tapi ada satu yang cukup kocak, CNN mengatakan, kemungkinan Hillary kalah karena publik Amerika tidak suka dengan ide Bush-Clinton-Clinton-Bush-Clinton di gedung putih, hahahaha!

Latar belakang Barack Obama juga menarik. Ayahnya adalah seorang lelaki kulit hitam dari Kenya, Afrika dan ibunya Ann Dunham adalah wanita kulit putih dari Hawaii, AS. Sayang, orangtuanya bercerai. Ibunya kemudian menikah lagi dengan warga negara Indonesia bernama Lolo Sutoro. Ann dan Lolo kemudian pindah ke Jakarta bersama Obama kecil. Mereka tinggal di daerah Menteng Atas, Jakarta Pusat, selama beberapa tahun. Tidak heran jika banyak orang Indonesia yang merasa memiliki keterikatan dengan Obama. Man, calon presiden Amerika pernah tinggal di Jakarta!

Saya belum pernah bertemu Obama tapi saya bisa mengerti mengapa orang kagum padanya. Ia begitu berkharisma dan bersahaja. Secara fisik, ia juga lebih tampan dari John McCain, kandidat presiden dari partai Republik yang berjulukan 'Old Man McCain' hihihi. Suatu hari di tahun 2007, jaringan televisi Fox menyiarkan gambar Obama sedang berlari di pantai dengan bertelanjang dada. Sontak gadis-gadis memberinya nama panggilan Oh... Bama! Popularitasnya bahkan membuat seorang gadis cantik dan sexy membuat seri video klip berjudul Obama Girl http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyjXt1zSXHU

Memang perjalanan Obama masih panjang. Memang pemilu AS punya banyak kejutan, meski sangat populer belum tentu kemenangan sudah di tangan. Memang kita belum tahu seperti apa kebijakan-kebijakan Obama nanti kalau terpilih, dan apa dampaknya buat Indonesia. Biarlah waktu kan menjawab semua tapi yang pasti saya berharap Barack Obama bisa menjadi Presiden Amerika Serikat karena Amerika bisa jadi lebih simpatik di bawah kepemimpinannya, karena dunia saat ini butuh tokoh yang dapat mempersatukan dan bukan mempertajam perbedaan dan akhirnya saya sangat berharap Obama menang karena alasan sederhana, bahwa ada sekeping Indonesia pada dirinya.

Hidup Obama!